His Girl Friday - In A Nutshell

Marc: 00:00:12

Hello and welcome to Movies in a Nutshell with me, Mark Farquhar

Paul: 00:00:17

and I, Paul Day.

Marc: 00:00:18

Join us every week for quick, entertaining, spoiler free movie breakdowns followed by fun facts and trivia.

Darren: 00:00:24

From timeless classics to cult favorites to the latest releases, here are three reasons.

Paul: 00:00:29

To listen to this podcast. Save time by quickly learning what a movie's about, spoiler free, and decide if it's worth your time.

Marc: 00:00:36

Discover hidden details and things you may have missed. And that includes Darren challenging the way you see a movie, even if you've seen it 100 times.

Darren: 00:00:43

Get recommendations for your next watch.

Marc: 00:00:45

So grab some popcorn and let's jump into this week's movie. So, gentlemen, let's discuss his Girl Friday.

Paul: 00:00:55

Woo.

Darren: 00:00:55

Woo.

Paul: 00:00:56

Wow. I enjoyed the whoop.

Marc: 00:00:58

So part one, we call the diagnostics. So in part one of the show, we take a look at the movie stats, then we look at the synopsis and we compare it to our own version.

We give you the movie in a nutshell, spoiler free, and then we take a brief look at some ratings and reviews. So I'll start with the stats. So if you're in the us, I know we have some US listeners.

o. So it was released January: 1940

Darren: 00:01:27

That's scary. I'm just trying to work out how long ago that is. What, 85 years?

Marc: 00:01:32

Yes. Yeah.

Paul: 00:01:33

Wowzers.

Marc: 00:01:34

It's not rated. It's that old. It's not rated.

Darren: 00:01:37

Oh wow, that's interesting.

Marc: 00:01:38

There was no classification. Oh well, the run time is 1 hour 32, which I think they were.

They were always trying to be bang on back in the day when they was just the default time genre is screwball comedy. Romantic comedy. Don't get screwball anymore. Really? Do you?

Darren: 00:01:49

Oh, that's a good question.

Marc: 00:01:50

I never heard that for a while.

Darren: 00:01:52

I think so.

Paul: 00:01:52

And if you do, maybe they just don't call it that anymore. Maybe they put it under, I think screwball.

Marc: 00:01:57

I was thinking of something like Spaceballs.

Darren: 00:01:58

No, no, like a spoof.

Marc: 00:02:00

What is the definition of screwball?

Darren: 00:02:01

That's a really good question. It's kind of like outlandish and out there. Tends to be quite fast paced as well. Yes, like fast dialogue.

Marc: 00:02:08

That makes sense. So it stars Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy. It was directed by Howard Hawks, written by Charles Lederer.

He did a screenplay Based on a play, the Front Page by Ben hecht and Charles MacArthur. Music by Sidney Kutner and Felix Mills. The budget under box office were not released. I don't know if it was, if it was bothered about.

That won't be much public domain that back in there.

Darren: 00:02:31

Three sets, isn't it?

Marc: 00:02:32

Yeah, there's not a lot to it.

Paul: 00:02:34

We'll estimate it cost them $10.

Marc: 00:02:35

Yeah.

Darren: 00:02:35

Yeah.

Marc: 00:02:39

Okay. So the synopsis. So it was your choice, Darren. So.

Darren: 00:02:42

Yep.

Marc: 00:02:43

Give it a go.

Darren: 00:02:43

No, I'm gonna pass.

Marc: 00:02:44

You're gonna pass?

Paul: 00:02:45

Can you do that? I didn't know that was an option.

Darren: 00:02:47

Like I've tried and I've even read other synopses and I was just like how do you do this that you can't, you, you can't bring in, you can't bring in everything that's going to happen. Like I can keep it simple. So it'll be like a, a newspaper journalist. I know I can't even do it. Like how, how would you start?

Paul: 00:03:06

Broke the format. Mark, he's broke the format.

Marc: 00:03:08

Do you think you could do it?

Paul: 00:03:09

No, I don't even want to try because Cameron's going to look at me and be like no, no.

Darren: 00:03:14

But, but here's one of the things with it is if, when you've got a movie script, one page of a script usually amounts to one minute of screen time. So if you have a 90 page script, it's usually 90 minutes film. The script for this was 191 pages long.

Marc: 00:03:33

Okay.

Darren: 00:03:33

Yes. Because it breaks a formula because they speak so fast that they get through it that quickly.

But it still means there's 191 minutes or pages of action that happen in this film. So to do a synopsis for that, it's like crazy.

Paul: 00:03:47

Or is it just something like a newspaper man and his ex wife end up in a escapade of chaos? Okay, well I can't do either.

Marc: 00:03:56

Right. The official synopsis is actually very short.

Paul: 00:03:59

Okay.

Marc: 00:04:00

A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter XY from remarrying.

Darren: 00:04:05

That doesn't bring dare to. How much did they miss out? Like did they miss out the political bit? It's like I know there's a murderer who's on gang. I think that's the.

Marc: 00:04:16

There's obviously multiple things going on, but that's the core of what this is about.

Paul: 00:04:19

I see. That's the film poster tagline or something, isn't it?

Darren: 00:04:22

Oh, don't get me started on the film poster. But I'm Gonna find it.

Paul: 00:04:25

I did see that.

Darren: 00:04:26

It's the beautiful. It's a beautiful.

Marc: 00:04:28

This is where he points out something I've missed.

Paul: 00:04:29

I know.

Darren: 00:04:30

Well, we've all missed it.

Paul: 00:04:31

We'll all have missed.

Darren: 00:04:32

I'll find it in a minute and I'll hold it up and be. Look at this silliness.

Paul: 00:04:35

We're gonna get T shirts printed with. Darren taught us something about this movie.

Marc: 00:04:39

That's the T shirt of this podcast.

Paul: 00:04:40

What did we miss?

Darren: 00:04:43

It's okay. You crack on.

Paul: 00:04:44

Okay. Onwards we go.

Marc: 00:04:46

Okay. Yeah. Well, we are. With this. The next point is the nutshell. What are we. What are we gonna.

Darren: 00:04:51

191 pages in a nutshell. Yeah, let's do that.

Paul: 00:04:54

He's got a lot of notes. I know you can't see this, listeners, but he has a lot of notes.

Marc: 00:04:58

Because we'll just think, Darren, someone like. We're trying to explain this for someone who hasn't seen it.

Darren: 00:05:02

Yeah, totally. So, okay, so this is probably about two things. It's the battle of the sexes, predominantly, in a really good way. It's also about.

I don't know what the word I would use. It's like. It's basically. It's kind of fake news. It's kind of counterfeit. I guess in this, he's telling us.

Marc: 00:05:18

What we miss here.

Paul: 00:05:19

I know. So in a nutshell, what is this movie about?

Darren: 00:05:23

Oh, sorry. It's about battle of the sexes and it's about being counterfeit or fake.

Marc: 00:05:29

Yeah, yeah.

Paul: 00:05:30

It gives you kind of an inside view of a newsroom back in the day and how kind of the thirsty the press were even back then and how it all sort of worked, but under the umbrella, if you will, of this relationship, like Darren said, because that's the core of the whole thing. But then it's set in these.

And, yeah, it brings in lots of themes which we'll get into later, but I've got a few things that if you like this, maybe you'll like this. Darren, you might not agree with these, but try them.

Darren: 00:05:54

Oh, yeah.

Paul: 00:05:54

So I got flashes of Fish Cold Wonder, Fierce Creatures, kind of when it was.

Darren: 00:06:00

They could be Skrull comedies.

Paul: 00:06:01

That's why.

Darren: 00:06:01

Yeah, yeah.

Paul: 00:06:02

That's why I was getting. I mean, Fierce Creatures, the sequel. Fish Cold Wonder, not the sequel, but sort of made by the same team. Doesn't hold up. Sorry.

Slight tangent, listeners. But yeah, when it's into the kind of manic scenes, I just started thinking to myself, yeah, it's kind of Faulty Towers. It's that fish called Wander.

It's fish creatures when they have them, sort of. And yeah, screwball, they probably gone to that thing. So that's one bit I almost compared it to another one was.

And this is a bit lighter, but it's more the newsroom element. If you like your Lois and Clark. Clark Kent, Lois Lane thing. It's got a bit of that in there.

But obviously the Clark Kent in this one is more like Hank Moody from Californication.

Darren: 00:06:40

Excellent reference.

Paul: 00:06:41

I know Darren will enjoy this reference, which we'll expand on later, but I feel like he's more that kind of character. But it's got that Lois and Clark kind of newsroom banter.

Darren: 00:06:50

Yeah.

Paul: 00:06:50

And then the final one, which is a really random take, but I'll throw it in just in case there's a scene. And this isn't going to give away too much. So I still feel we're free in the nutshell and not Spoiler City.

But there's a scene where there's a lot of fast talking in this film. It's very rapid fire. And there's a bit where, who's this? Who's she? What's this? And they all sort of say it.

And straight away I thought of the Hamilton intro into my shot. I don't know if there's any Hamilton fans listening, but he goes, who's this? Who's this guy? What's he gonna do? And it goes, I'm not gonna throw him.

Darren: 00:07:20

Just before you said that, I smirked because I see where I was going. I was thinking of Hamilton.

And when I said, I'm gonna pass on the synopsis, I really wish you said, I didn't know that was something you could do in the style of Hamilton. Didn't know there was something you could do.

Paul: 00:07:34

Sorry, we won't sing on this podcast.

Darren: 00:07:35

But the Hamilton is excellent. You really should watch. Go see the show.

Paul: 00:07:38

But yeah, and Hamilton's very kind of fast paced, obviously, within its songs and everything. And I don't know why. It was just that particular, who's this? Who's that? What's gonna.

And I was like, oh, my God, I'm expecting Carrie Grant to go into. I'm not gonna throw away my shot.

Darren: 00:07:50

But it could also be Nightmare Before Christmas. What's this? What's this? That's why stuff every day.

Paul: 00:07:55

That's true. Jack Skeleton. So it's very fast paced, it's got that comedy thing.

And yeah, my references were kind of Lois and Clark, screwball comedies, Fish, Cold wonder, that kind of thing. And Hamilton in the Middle of it, I was like, yeah, that's kind of fast paced, sort of jumping across the wall.

So if you enjoy them things, maybe this. And also if you like old school.

Darren: 00:08:12

Movies, I guess even with the rapid fire dialogue, a little bit of Gilmore Girls.

Paul: 00:08:16

Oh, okay.

Darren: 00:08:16

If you can keep up the Gilmore Girls, you'd be able to keep up with this.

Paul: 00:08:19

Yeah, yeah. It's almost exhausting at times. It is that rapid fire. But again, if you like them sort of old school films as well, it's really.

Darren: 00:08:27

She should.

Paul: 00:08:27

Yeah. As you should all.

Marc: 00:08:29

So the beginning of the film, the premise, the start is she goes basically into her old work, her ex husband.

Darren: 00:08:36

To the man's world, to say that.

Marc: 00:08:37

She'S remarrying, she's leaving, goodbye. And it's kind of the tale, the journey she goes on.

Paul: 00:08:44

And like Darren said, it's hard then to explain it without going into the spoilers of the actual story itself because certain things happen within the newsroom that then build on it so we can get them into spoiler city. But we obviously don't want to destroy that. In the nutshell.

Marc: 00:08:58

Yeah. Like you said, it's definitely battle sexes. It's ethics of journalism, love versus career ambitions.

Darren: 00:09:04

Yeah. To a certain extent it's, it's. I go into it. What did we miss? But it's also about a woman's role in society.

Marc: 00:09:10

Yes. Yeah. And there's a bit of political corruption in there and.

Darren: 00:09:13

Yeah.

Marc: 00:09:13

The role of the press shaping public opinion.

Darren: 00:09:15

Which is why I also love the fact they had that legend at the beginning. Being like, this is not in any way a representation of our noble journalists who would never act in a way like this.

Marc: 00:09:24

divorce and reconciliation in: 1940

Darren: 00:09:29

I know, I didn't think that divorce was something you could do.

Paul: 00:09:32

You should sing that bit. But the bit as well is I'm making my notes and I write, oh, it's from the play, the page. It's based off a play.

And then I write later on in my notes when I've forgotten that fact, I'm like, oh, this is a bit like a play. Oh, yeah, it is a play. Yeah, There we go. It does run like a play.

So if you're someone who goes to watch, they do a lot of them at the cinema now, don't they? Where you watch like the West End shows on the cinema. If you enjoy that kind of thing, I think you'd enjoy this as well.

Marc: 00:10:00

Should we go into the ratings and reviews?

Darren: 00:10:02

Yes. Hear what they've got to say.

Marc: 00:10:03

So we'll start with the ratings. Rotten Tomatoes. The critics score was 99%.

Darren: 00:10:08

Yeah, see, that's what we're looking for. Mark this. This is cinema.

Marc: 00:10:13

There we go. Darren's right. We need to bring this back for every week.

Paul: 00:10:15

I was going to say see in the house right there. This is cinema. Hang on. Darren, are you showing your hand before we get to the.

Darren: 00:10:21

I'm too excited.

Marc: 00:10:22

The user score is 90, IMDb was 7.8 out of 10. The Metacritic, the critic score, there wasn't one for some reason, I don't know why, but the user score was 8.5 out of 10. So I'll do the.

The yin and the yang and the reviews. So Frank S.

Nugent of the New York Times, his Girl Friday is a bold faced reprint of what was once and still remains the maddest newspaper comedy of our time. So on the flip side, while contemporary reviews were obviously overwhelmingly positive, some modern viewers have not noted a darker undertone.

To me, this movie starts out as a screwball comedy and then you start to realize the whole environment is toxic.

Darren: 00:10:56

Yeah, totally.

Marc: 00:10:57

Which is.

Paul: 00:10:57

Which is pretty spot on point.

Darren: 00:10:59

Yeah, yeah, I think the film's aware of that.

Marc: 00:11:01

Yeah, probably. Yeah, I think so. It's totally self aware.

Paul: 00:11:04

Yeah.

Darren: 00:11:04

Okay, so on the whole, pretty positive.

Marc: 00:11:07

But very, very well received. Yeah. Even like over the test of time, like since it came out, would you say 85 years.

Yeah, until now to still get that because obviously people review it all the time every year and it's still got. What was it? 99 on Rotten Tomatoes. That's it for part one. So let's go to part two and we enter into spoiler territory.

So in part two we have what did we miss? Where we mainly Darren will tell us what we've did not spot when we first watched this film. Are you laughing? Because it's true.

Paul: 00:11:42

I know. He illuminates our minds with these.

Darren: 00:11:45

So much pressure, these key bits.

Marc: 00:11:46

Makes you think.

Paul: 00:11:47

He does make you think.

Marc: 00:11:48

And then we'll do takeaways which is where we first will give our opinions and then we will see if this movie stood the test of time. Okay, so let's start with what did we miss? This is your choice, Darren. So we'll go with you first.

Darren: 00:12:00

Okay, but I need to give a fat to set up the. What do I miss?

Marc: 00:12:04

So you can, you can step onto on Paul's toes. He doesn't mind. Yeah, he's a nice guy.

Paul: 00:12:08

Get them facts out there.

Darren: 00:12:09

So what?

So with the play, the Two leads were male, and it was about a kind of newspaper editor and his lead journalist, who was a guy also called Hildy, which is, I think in a way sometimes if you dig a little bit deep, there's a little bit of. I wouldn't call it homophobia, but it's a little bit of homosexuality is definitely the other, or femme being feminine is definitely the other.

So the guy was called, his nickname was Hildy was two guys in the play. And then Howard Hawkson all his fricking genius decides to switch up Hildy's role to be a woman instead.

And so instead of the male journalists go off and get married and have babies, it's a woman who now is tempted to go off and have babies, which is really, really cool. And that's where the battle of the sexes comes in, really. And she isn't just like a woman who is subservient to men. She's as powerful as the men.

Like she's as powerful as Cary Grant's character in this movie. And even in the opening scene, you see this bustling newspaper scene and there's a big sign saying like no admittance. And.

And the camera goes past the secretaries who are obviously female, doing their paperwork, and men come in and out of this newspaper area, all the important decisions are made. In walks Hildy, strong, powerful, confident, with her little fiance following behind her. And then she turns and puts hand in. And you know what?

You wait here. And I think it gets a little bit. I'm not sure when in the movie it happens maybe a little bit later, he's like.

He says something like, I sure would like to sort that guy out or whatever. And she's like, oh, sweetie, you know, she makes a cowboy reference like. Like, yeah, you're not going to do that.

And then she saunters into the men's room and she's like, I'm here now. And then this amazing. What is that? How long's that scene?

Like 10 minutes of them just banter, bantering with each other and everything's a really cool choreographed. At some point she throws something at him and it's just amazing.

Paul: 00:13:53

There was another scene later on as well that I thought sort of showed the respect they all had for at her as a woman where she kind of walks in where they're all playing cards and she walks in there and the kind of warmth towards this character is on the screen. You've got all these kind of oldie worldy guys if you want playing cards, newspaper men. And she walks in and they're all, hey, how's it going?

ought that would be part of a: 1940

I suppose you'd have a conversation that first.

Marc: 00:14:24

When she walks into there, you can. That's what I was. Oh, yeah, this is definitely taken from a play, a stage show. It's cool.

Paul: 00:14:29

And for me, I was, you know, big comic book geek here. But it's like, it's Lois Lynn. She's a strong, powerful reporter, too. But, yeah, them sort of vibes.

Darren: 00:14:37

But she also really likes Cary Grant's character. He's. She's. When she sees him being schemy, you can see her kind of get a little thrill out of it. And it's kind of sweet.

But also, if you think about: 1940

Like, at one point, like, he'll light a cigarette, but then she's like, oh, can I have one? He just throws it at her. She's like, matches. And he'll open. He'll storm out and. And basically slam doors behind her in a face.

And I was like, wait, are you doing it on purpose? Because he's that intelligent, he could be, like, nagging her or something. I don't know what. Or is it because he's. He keeps regard. Talking to her.

He's like, she's the finest newspaper man. Like, yeah, you're one of us. Why would I hold the door for you?

Marc: 00:15:20

You're one of the boys.

Darren: 00:15:21

So, yeah, I think that's kind of the key things I've got. How. How just, well, respect and. But she's also desperate to break away and go. Because she's like, oh, you know, I want to be out of here.

You guys are chumps, and you guys are this. And you're loathsome in a really, I love you, but you're loathsome or whatever. She says to Kay, run.

I want to go bring up babies and let them kind of grow teeth and all that kind of stuff. And just like, you got. Not that person.

what I like about this is, in: 1940

And it's like, you know, with our new laundromatic, housework is a breeze. You won't even be doing anything.

Paul: 00:16:01

I feel like you should do them adverts. That was good. He was telling me that there.

Darren: 00:16:06

And around this point, this thing called the Hays Code is kicked in, which was like, you had to have decency in movies. And it had this massive list of stuff that you weren't allowed to do. And it's like there was no profanity. Like, God, Lord Jesus, Son of a bitch.

Damn God. Couldn't say anything vulgar, Mark. Nothing. You couldn't have any licentious or suggestive nudity, not even a silhouette.

And you couldn't have any illegal drugs, any sex perversion. No. White slavery. No, like, sex hygiene or venereal diseases, scenes of actual birth, willful offense to any nation, race or creed.

Basically, you couldn't make movies anymore.

Paul: 00:16:43

How did they make this with that list?

Darren: 00:16:45

A lot of that would mean.

If you think about that, that would mean that Hildy really should go and get married and have kids and go back into the kitchen and kind of where she belongs. Obviously, I don't mean that, but that's kind of the narrative that, you know, women belong in the kitchen.

But instead, yes, she does end up back with Kylie Grant's character, but she also stays in her profession. I mean, their ideal would. She told them both to off and just went and lived her own life, set up her own newspaper.

But, you know, that was kind of cool.

Marc: 00:17:09

It was. It was against the norm, didn't it?

Paul: 00:17:12

Back as the newspaper man, as they referred to her. Also the contrast between the two characters of the new guy. That was it. The fiance. The new fiance.

Darren: 00:17:21

Yeah.

Paul: 00:17:22

Where he was the. Even 10 minutes is long time to be away from you.

Darren: 00:17:27

But no, that's not how you say it. Because he's coded as a girl. So he's like, even 10 minutes is a long time to be away from you.

Marc: 00:17:34

Complete role reversal, wasn't it? Which was, I thought was really cool just to have a female lead.

Darren: 00:17:39

Yeah.

Marc: 00:17:39

And I thought it was amazing.

Paul: 00:17:40

And then, of course, you've got Kagar on the other side being the voice. I just did more of that kind of masculine male. Get out of here. Newspaper.

Marc: 00:17:50

But, yeah, leading lady was good. You know, like when she was asking him to. Say that again. Yeah, say it again.

Darren: 00:17:55

I know.

Marc: 00:17:55

That was a good. That was a good role reversal. But, like. And the. Her ex is a dick. He's right. He's the dick.

Oh, he's unbelievably egotistical, arrogant self entitled douchebag. But she's kind of obviously attracted to that kind of bad boy. Kind of. That's what, that's what got into this mess in the first place.

Paul: 00:18:09

They both give as good as they get as well. They both fire at each other.

Darren: 00:18:13

I had a massive grin on my face the whole time because there's so many things like he'll change his mind immediately. Yeah, like he said something about, he's like, you know, disrespectful. You know, when I hired you, you were a baby face girl.

She was like, you want to hide? Hide me. And that's was a baby face girl. He said, well, can you blame me? I'm looking at all this stuff over here that would give me a heart attack.

You know, he would just spin. It was amazing. And there's a bit where he's.

He's luring in the fiance and he's crying and he's like wiping his eye and the fiance is not looking at him so he's like getting attention.

Paul: 00:18:42

Yeah, I wrote that one down. That was funny. I enjoyed that.

Marc: 00:18:45

It was a bit where they were trying to. Oh, because he said, I want to see my wife who, who gave birth or something. And she.

Yeah, he said, but they only gave, they only got married four months ago. Yeah, and he was on there so they couldn't have been married.

Darren: 00:18:56

Yeah.

Marc: 00:18:56

As if to say, well, you don't get married unless, you know, you don't have kids unless you get married. It's just like, it's just a weird assumption.

Darren: 00:19:01

But that's when Hildy works out what he's done. And he was like, oh, you caught me. But yeah, because you lie. If you're speaking, you're lying. You full of lies.

Paul: 00:19:11

In terms of the filmmaking of it. You had these really long takes, like a play, really long takes.

But then when, when it all gets really suspenseful later on, there's these really quick takes that were really effective because you were used to these long takes.

Marc: 00:19:23

I wonder, I often wonder how long, how long those. There's a choreography almost in those scenes and the overlapping and the. You talk, then you talk, then you talk and you talk.

Paul: 00:19:31

The rhythm of that conversation was very much like a dance.

Darren: 00:19:33

I thought, well, that's interesting you say that because I know like every time we do a show you guys are like, oh, the composer, the music. Yeah. And it's like hardly any. The music is the dialogue.

Paul: 00:19:43

Yeah, yeah.

Darren: 00:19:43

And. But then they, and they crash into silence a lot. So I think the first silence is when she goes.

Because even though this is a fun romantic ish, kind of manipulative movie, it's also about a guy who shot a cop. The cop happens to be a black cop.

And because there's a lot of kind of affirmative action or whatever going on, it's political that this guy, you know, basically gets a chase. He's going to be, he's going to be killed. He's going to be. Go to the actual chair because of it.

Paul: 00:20:09

They're going to hang him.

Darren: 00:20:10

Oh, they're going to hang. So they're going to hang him over this.

Marc: 00:20:12

There's so much corruption in it as well.

Darren: 00:20:14

Right.

Marc: 00:20:14

Like what if I give you $50,000? You can just. We'll, we'll print this. I thought we were, I thought we were the left wing. Yeah, but we'll change, we'll change tack. Doesn't matter.

Darren: 00:20:21

And he, he doesn't want to free him because it's the right thing to do. He, he might want to free him because it's a good story that they saved him.

But yeah, she goes down to talk to him and it's just, she just sits there and it's quiet and there's no dialogue and I think she offers him a cigarette and he's like oh, I don't, don't smoke and hands it back. And she said, you know, you didn't mean to kill that guy, did you? And it's also quite for like, like.

Marc: 00:20:45

A 10 minute scene diffusing. She's confusing.

Darren: 00:20:47

And then the other time it goes quiet is when is her name Molly? I think. And so this girl who took the guy in, I'm sure her name's Molly and, and the press made her relationship into more than it was.

She basically took pity, I mean one evening and gave him a meal or whatever and she's like, I never said I want you to marry him. I wasn't going to marry him on the hangman's news. You made it up. You're disgusting. You guys are sickening.

And she's throwing all this stuff at him and gets over emotional and they say something like a calm down will you? You're interrupting our game. And it's almost like an over emotional woman is just getting in way discussing business or whatever it is they're doing.

And there is a lot of like.

Paul: 00:21:24

They'Re not human, they're newspaper men.

Darren: 00:21:26

Right?

Paul: 00:21:26

Yeah, yeah.

Darren: 00:21:27

And then she yeets herself out the window.

Paul: 00:21:29

Yes, that took me by surprise.

Darren: 00:21:32

But also after that speech she gives, they do go quiet and they. It's a shift, isn't? It's like 20 seconds, 25 seconds. And they just sit there.

And then I think he already says, you know, find a bunch of newspaper men. But she knows that she's one of them.

Paul: 00:21:46

Yeah.

Darren: 00:21:46

You know, it's like they were taking this moment of like, yeah, we're kind of gross, but back to business.

Marc: 00:21:51

Yeah. Anyway, we go, yeah. Anything else, Darren?

Darren: 00:21:56

Yeah, I think that's probably it. I think. I think it's a. An attack on the patriarchy as well. To a certain extent. It's sort of going back to that counterfeit then. It's just.

This is a patriarchal world and everything is fake. And there's no kind of empathy or just.

Marc: 00:22:11

Certainly money talks.

Darren: 00:22:13

Yeah, money talks. Like, there's not one really redeeming guy character you could argue. Maybe the fiance.

Marc: 00:22:19

Maybe he's just a bit of a weak character. Those knees.

Paul: 00:22:23

The bit at the end that got me was, this is the romantic in me, obviously speaking.

Marc: 00:22:27

Oh, Paul.

Paul: 00:22:28

I know, but you were expecting kind of this reunite of the two of them. I'm like, oh, this is gonna be the kiss scene. But they don't really. They just sort of go, okay, let's go to the place. And then they kind of go off.

Marc: 00:22:40

Down, obviously how they always were.

Paul: 00:22:41

And I wrote down. It's like, this has just been the latest in one of. Latest in the line of what's probably been lots of adventures, which they kind of.

They talk about at some point. They're like, oh, this is like the time we were in the thing with. They just sort of walk off at the end. It's like, yeah, this is just the latest.

Marc: 00:22:57

They slipped back into the role the way they were.

Paul: 00:22:59

Yeah, they've just rolled back into it all. But I was like, oh, they didn't have, like, what I imagined would have the romantic ending scene where they reunite. It's like, oh, no. They're just.

Marc: 00:23:07

I'm glad they didn't do that.

Paul: 00:23:08

Yeah, I am, too. Really? I was expecting it. And the fact it didn't have that. I was like, no, that's good.

Marc: 00:23:12

Yeah.

Darren: 00:23:13

Not. Not only that, because she's like, oh, there's a new case in Albany. We'll go. Got to go there.

And she's like, fine, we'll have the honeymoon in Albany. But that's where the fiance lives. And Cary Grant says something like, oh, I wonder if. Was it Bruce?

I wonder if your fiance that I've just stolen you from will put Us up. Love it.

Marc: 00:23:30

He is arrogant, isn't he?

Darren: 00:23:31

Yes.

Marc: 00:23:32

acket. It had the front page.: 1931

Darren: 00:23:37

Yeah.

Marc: 00:23:37

daptation Broadcast News from: 1987

Let's do facts of the day.

Paul: 00:23:54

Facts of the day. Okay. As usual, there's lots, but I have picked a few out for you.

This one talks about kind of the rhythm of what we were talking about with how many words in it. It's estimated that the normal rate of verbal dialogue in most Films is around 90 words in a minute.

In his Girl Friday, the delivery has been clocked at 240 words a minute. So if you're thinking it's fast dialogue, you are correct.

Rosalind Russell thought while she was shooting that she didn't have as many good lines as Cary Grant had. So she actually hired an advertisement writer through her brother in law and had him write more clever lines for the dialogue.

Darren: 00:24:32

I think he also ended up writing lines for Cary Grant as well because he was so good.

Paul: 00:24:36

Quite possibly because it says Howard Hawks ee allowed for the spontaneity in the ad libbing and that kind of thing. So he and many of the cast and crew didn't notice it.

But Grant knew she was up to something, leading him to greet her every morning with, what have you got today? So that's interesting.

To capture the film's fast paced dialogue clearly, Howard Hawks decided to use multiple microphones rather than the overhead boom mics, since the microphones could be turned on simultaneously and a sound technician had to switch from mic to mic on cue. Some scenes required as many as 35 switches. So technologically there was a lot going on with the recording of said dialogue.

I did read one when I was looking through all these facts around how when he was encouraging them to ad lib and do their own thing, he was also encouraging them to step on each other's lines and talk over and. And do that. Which obviously is Worked. Worked, yeah. And a big part of the chaos of the film.

One scene required Cary Grant to push Rosalind onto a couch. And Howard Hawks asked the actors to try shoving her harder.

And when Grant protested that he didn't want to try and kill her, Hawks said, try killing her. So it sounds like he liked to push his actors to get the thing.

And like we mentioned before, the movie is so fast paced that it has absolutely no Incidental music score. Other than that over the opening and closing credits, like Darren said, because the dialogue very much is the rhythm of the music itself.

Marc: 00:26:03

Okay, let's move on to takeaways. So what did we think of the film? Your choice, Darren, we'll go with you.

Darren: 00:26:09

Oh, okay, fine. I remember loving this. And I can remember watching it, you know, when I was studying film and I loved it. I can remember when I was at my who would.

And my wife and I was. It's really bad when you're a huge film geek. I'm much more tame now.

But, you know, if your partner says something like, they don't like black and white movies. It is in a summer of watching movies and having PowerPoints thrown at them. So I can remember, like a challenge says that.

But she'd be like, why don't we like westerns? I'm like, what the. Does that mean we're going to watch some westerns now?

Paul: 00:26:37

I feel like that's what Cary Grant would have done, too.

Darren: 00:26:39

Yeah, exactly. I don't know why we're divorced, so. So I remember fondly, and it wasn't my immediate film I wanted to choose.

Like I said when we were choosing it, there's so many other movies like Bringing Up Baby that I would have wanted to, but we stick with the mainstream.

Marc: 00:26:54

Why did you choose it?

Darren: 00:26:55

Because it was one of the only films of this era I could find on the key streaming services.

Marc: 00:27:00

Cool. Yeah. But I do try and keep it still.

Darren: 00:27:01

Howard Hawks is still a good movie. But then when I was watching it, I had totally forgotten about the suicide, about the death, about the hanging. I was like, oh.

But once I got used to it being four by three, it wasn't a remastered version or whatever. Bit grainy. I was like, oh, am I going to. Is this going to hold up? And then once you're five, ten minutes in, you forget it.

And then I was just watching with a grin on my face because the dialogue is just so good, so fast, so ludicrous. It's like almost watching a cartoon. It's almost like watching, like Wiley Coyote or something. Yeah, it's amazing.

And there's so many, like, quotes I love that just stand out. Obviously I love the one about getting divorced, but there's another one. It's his delivery as well. It's just fantastic. This.

He's almost stoic when he speaks. He's very to the point, but he's venom at points is amazing.

sed to you, and that's like a: 1947

What a great dialogue. How. How do you come up with that? So, yeah, it's just wonderful. I loved the dialogue. I loved the writing. I loved her as a powerful woman.

I loved those scene moments of silence. I just had a grin on my face the whole time.

Paul: 00:28:22

I enjoyed it.

Darren: 00:28:25

There's another quote. Diabetes. I also know better than to hire anybody with a disease. What?

Paul: 00:28:31

Yeah, that was. That was pretty like, oh, no, I enjoyed it. I'm still trying to process it. I think in terms of where I would rank it in my world of movie things.

I like watching an old one now and again. I feel like I enjoy the nostalgia of. That's how they made them back in the day. And I feel like I should watch more of them.

So thank you, Darren, for recommending this one because the problem is there's so. And I don't know if you're like this listener as well. There's so many old films to choose from. Darren was Damien Laws before.

And I'm thinking I've heard of a lot of these, but I haven't actually seen them. And I feel like I need to get.

Marc: 00:29:03

You need someone to give you a nudge in. Like, what's this one?

Paul: 00:29:04

I love Audrey Hepburn films because I love Audrey Hepburn. So I've watched a lot of them just because it's like, oh, it's got Audrey Hepburn.

Darren: 00:29:11

They're hit and miss, though.

Paul: 00:29:12

Yeah. So. So when you recommend one that's part of these, this massive catalog of old films, you're like, okay, cinema, but where do you start?

Yeah, so I did enjoy it in that sense. I enjoyed the dialogue, like I've said. I enjoyed the fast pacedness of it. I did get exhausted at times.

I think I'd had a busy day at work and I was like, oh. So if I watched it again, I'd have to be in the right mood to take it all in because it is so fast paced.

Marc: 00:29:36

I tell you what, if you're. If you know some of the films to recommend, in fact, you know, you now off the top of your head.

Darren: 00:29:43

Only Angels have Wings. Bringing Up Baby. Rio Bravo. Yeah, they're the key 3. I would go with.

Marc: 00:29:48

Yeah.

Paul: 00:29:48

What did you think?

Marc: 00:29:49

I love this film. Yeah. I thank you for.

Darren: 00:29:52

I genuinely thought you were gonna hate it.

Marc: 00:29:53

I Loved it.

Paul: 00:29:54

It looks like a proud father figure right now.

Darren: 00:29:57

Oh, let me wipe away a tear.

Paul: 00:29:59

Hang on, I missed that. Oh, there it is.

Marc: 00:30:01

Yeah, that was great. I love the. Yeah, the pace of it was fantastic. And yeah, I love the fact that it was a lead female in it. I wasn't expecting.

I wasn't expecting that based on when it was released. But then again, I haven't seen many of these films from then.

Darren: 00:30:13

I mentioned the poster earlier. I'm holding up to the lads now, but the Rosalind Russell characters in basically like a long lingerie kind of like night dress.

And Cary Grant is leering at her. And then the tagline is she learned about men from him.

Marc: 00:30:27

The.

Darren: 00:30:28

Has that got to do with the movie?

Paul: 00:30:29

I love the fact in his notes.

Marc: 00:30:31

He'S wrote, yeah, I've taken a photo of this and I've put. I'll put it in the show notes of Darren's. Just John's notes for this movie poster is an arrow with wtf. What the is this?

So, yeah, I'll put that in the show notes.

Paul: 00:30:41

The marketing, that's nothing to do with the film.

Darren: 00:30:43

No marketing were like, this is too feminist. We need to get an audience in. We're going to trick them. We're going to get them in the door and then hit them with feminism.

Marc: 00:30:50

We're going to miss sell this film.

Darren: 00:30:51

Yeah.

Marc: 00:30:52

But, yeah, I thought it was great. I really enjoyed from beginning to end. I didn't get bored in it. I like the pace of it.

Paul: 00:30:57

Yeah.

Marc: 00:30:57

I liked everything about it. So I want to watch more of those films and I've just. I don't know why, but I've just avoided old films. I don't know why.

I think I thought they were gonna be like, boring. My black and white, I think boring. I no longer think they kind of.

Paul: 00:31:08

Pull you in, don't they? They're very captivating.

Marc: 00:31:10

Yeah.

Paul: 00:31:10

Because I always think, oh, I'll give this a watch. And then within, like you said, five, ten minutes, you'd sort of. In that world of the old school.

Marc: 00:31:16

Well, the first thing I really noticed was the lack of music. But then I quickly realized that it doesn't. It doesn't need it. There's so much to pay attention to that just. It's not necessary.

So, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

Darren: 00:31:27

Excellent. And there's. There's tension as well because the deadline they have is keeps getting shorter. It's like the guy's going to be.

Marc: 00:31:32

Hung ark in the store, isn't it?

Darren: 00:31:34

Yeah. Can we push the time back but she's going to catch a train. Can they push the train back? And then he's like manipulating them.

Being like, you know, just because she's going to catch a train two hours earlier but she's going to cause a man to die. Like it will all forever be unconscious.

Marc: 00:31:45

It's like at any point when she lets her fiance loose or alone, something he's just. He just. Something bad happens to him. Useless.

Darren: 00:31:52

She knows it. She's like playing chess right back. She's like put that check into your hat. Cuz he's going to try something.

Marc: 00:31:57

Yeah.

Darren: 00:31:58

It is a battle of. It's almost like the princess pride kind of battle of wits almost.

Paul: 00:32:02

I was just thinking that it's like.

Darren: 00:32:03

You and I were just like insane like you too.

Marc: 00:32:08

years.: 2025

Darren: 00:32:18

Okay, so you got the fast paced dialogue wouldn't hold. There's no way. I don't think.

Marc: 00:32:23

Is it too fast?

Darren: 00:32:24

Yeah, it's too fast.

Marc: 00:32:25

We normally discuss things that are like too slow.

Darren: 00:32:27

Yeah.

Marc: 00:32:27

Like the pacing's too slow for modern audiences and this is too fast.

Paul: 00:32:31

Exhausting, isn't it?

Marc: 00:32:32

I must admit it was hard to keep up. I was like. I had to like rewind a few times.

Darren: 00:32:37

My students will put subtitles on normal speed movies to keep up. I don't know. What are you doing? Listen to what they're saying. The rest of it though, I think the.

The white guy killing a black cop, that would be really relevant these days. I think the woman being pushed towards suicide because of press coverage that would carry today. I think that's fine.

Marc: 00:33:00

I don't think it's impactful today to have a leading woman like that.

Darren: 00:33:04

would argue that between the: 1970

Marc: 00:33:11

Okay.

Paul: 00:33:11

I still had some tough ones though like Marion Ravenwood in Raiders and.

Darren: 00:33:14

Yeah, but we know those because they stand out.

Paul: 00:33:17

I guess so. Yeah. Whereas your princess layers of the world, that kind of stuff.

Darren: 00:33:21

Yeah. But even now, I mean actually this year one of my students was doing a presentation on this today or preparing it.

This year was one of the worst years for a female leads in movies.

Marc: 00:33:32

2024 was.

Darren: 00:33:33

Yeah, 24. I guess it must have been. Yeah.

Paul: 00:33:35

Oh wow.

Marc: 00:33:35

Wow.

Darren: 00:33:36

But it doesn't mean they weren't there. But I think there was. The percentages was a lot. So I don't know.

Maybe I'm not watching These types of movies, but there's just not that many movies like this.

Marc: 00:33:45

I suppose when we do Test of Time, we're not just saying what would happen if this. We just found this film and put it out as it is. Like, what if someone had the idea for this film.

Darren: 00:33:52

Yeah. And made it?

Marc: 00:33:53

How would it be made today?

Darren: 00:33:54

What would you change to do a remake? I mean, no one's made a read.

Marc: 00:33:57

I like, I like the fast pacedness of it. Like, it's. Sometimes it's a struggle to keep up. It challenges your brain.

Darren: 00:34:03

Yeah, it's really good.

Marc: 00:34:03

So, yeah, if you have the right cast with the right chemistry and the good.

Darren: 00:34:07

Right writing like this is in: 1940

So when they suddenly had to write dialogue and the fact that, you know, the silent movies were dominated by men, you know, it's like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. So the fact that they then started making talkies and they gave women dialogue this good.

And part of it is when they started writing dialogue, they hired the best writers. They had playwrights and satirists and journalists lists and stuff. So the dialogue is amazing.

Paul: 00:34:38

And if, if any listeners are currently twitching like I am, I think I may have said the wrong person. Before. Michael Keaton was in the paper with Glenn Close. Glenn Close, he was in multiplicity with Andy McDowell.

Darren: 00:34:49

Yeah, I thought you were talking nonsense when you said it.

Paul: 00:34:51

What did you say? What did you say? I'm like, that's. That's a different Michael Keaton film. So, yeah, he's corrected himself. Yeah, I sat here twitching.

I didn't Google that. I just sat here twitching him. That's not right.

Darren: 00:35:03

You brought glory back to your ancestors. You're doing okay.

Marc: 00:35:05

Okay.

Paul: 00:35:05

Okay.

Marc: 00:35:05

So, yeah, I think, I think it would as a premise.

Paul: 00:35:08

I think so as a premise.

Marc: 00:35:09

Cast, Right.

Paul: 00:35:10

Darren's right. Yeah. Get the right cast.

Marc: 00:35:12

Let's move on to part three of the podcast. In part three, we have Worth a Watch. Oh, what about renaming the Listener section to the Listener Lounge?

Paul: 00:35:25

I like that, actually.

Darren: 00:35:25

I do like that a lot.

Marc: 00:35:26

There we go. That's the first one we've all agreed on. So we'll, we'll go with that for now. The Listener Lounge and next week's movie.

So in Worth a Watch, whoever's choice of movie is gives us something to watch that they've. Let's call their eye. It can be a TV series, a documentary, or a movie.

Then we head to Listener Lounge, which is where we have your comments, question, your answers to questions we've put out and anything else, any mail, emails you guys have sent in. And then obviously next week's movie is the reveal of what we will be reviewing in the next episode. Let's go on to Worth a watch.

Darren: 00:35:54

Can you remember what I said last time round? Was it high potential?

Marc: 00:35:58

Yes. And I have since started watching that and it's really good.

Darren: 00:36:01

Oh nice.

Marc: 00:36:01

Yes. I'm a wife. Watch it together.

Darren: 00:36:03

And it's Thursday today, so there's a. Another episode out.

Marc: 00:36:05

We're still at the beginning. So yeah, we just started watching really good.

Darren: 00:36:09

So I'm kind of a bit torn between two things, but they do the same thing for me. So sometimes I need a really almost old fashioned sense of masculinity on screen to get me to clean my flat. And so I'm bouncing between two things.

I'm being, I'm being cheeky really. But I started watching Yellowstone. Have you guys seen that?

Marc: 00:36:26

I keep seeing. There's a new series just come out on. Is it Netflix?

Darren: 00:36:30

Yeah.

Marc: 00:36:31

Was it Disney? I kind of. Yeah, it's just come out and I've. I know of it but I've never seen any of it.

Darren: 00:36:35

So there's three seasons and it's basically a guy who owns Yellowstone kind of branch and it's the side of size of Rhode island or something like that. It's like huge. They basically own all this land and they're trying to protect it and stuff and you know, every. But it's really, really complex.

It's almost, it's really stepping into like another world of codes of behavior. Like they will take people who have committed crimes and they literally brand them and to give them a new life.

And they're like, you know, you die on this ranch, like you're your family or you kind of build up to being seen as kind of family.

Marc: 00:37:06

Wow.

Darren: 00:37:07

And the women are strong. Like there's a sister, the daughter and a sister, I think her name's Beth, who's just, it's, it's slow paced and it builds.

And this woman is, she seems toxic. She's a hard drinker, she crushes people and she crushes people in the boardroom.

But then it flashes back as to why that is and like how her mother treated her. And the character development is really, really powerful.

So it's not for everyone because it's a lot of unpleasant characters doing unpleasant, morally wary things. But it's a really, really interesting world. And what it made me do is get up and Clean my flat.

Because these guys aren't like whining about how, you know, their legs are sore from riding or they're tired. Woe is me not worries me. It's like, get the fuck up and fix that fence. It's like, you've got to put barbed wire down there.

But if you watch Yellowstone, let us know what you think. Because we don't see Westerns that often for one to be running this long, it's something good about it.

Marc: 00:38:02

Darren's worth of watch is Yellowstone. So, yeah, if you guys have watched it or you're gonna watch it because of his recommendation, let us know and let us know what you thought.

Okay, let's move on to the listener lounge. So the question we put out was, I mean, we only did it just like earlier today. So we've not had much time to. For responses, but we've had a few.

The question was, let me remind myself.

Darren: 00:38:23

Bad film that you love.

Marc: 00:38:24

Yeah. So a movie, you know, is a bit shitt it, but you love it. So, yeah, we only. I only put this out not long before we went. We recorded this.

So Ben Nicholson, who was a new. A new. He's newly followed us. Followed us, like earlier today. He's commented saying, thanks Space Jam. He's put Space Jam. He likes Space Jam.

Paul: 00:38:40

I like space.

Marc: 00:38:40

Nothing wrong with Space Jam.

Paul: 00:38:42

Bugs Bunny.

Marc: 00:38:43

Ollie Cake has put Cocaine Bear, which.

Darren: 00:38:45

I gotta thank Ollie Cake for the repeated listenings.

Marc: 00:38:48

Yeah.

Darren: 00:38:50

No, directed by Elizabeth Banks.

Paul: 00:38:53

Oh, is it? Yeah, I. I just. It sounds intriguing.

Darren: 00:38:56

I think it's a bear on cockades with cocaine bear. And like snakes on the plane, you get what you expect.

Marc: 00:39:02

I've not seen Cocaine Bear. I. I've heard the premise of it.

Paul: 00:39:05

I've had enough of this bear with his mother.

Marc: 00:39:07

And another regulation, Rosie Hodgson says Norbit. Oh, she's put. It's in my top 10. I said, I don't even know what that is.

Paul: 00:39:17

Murphy and lots of different characters, characters.

Darren: 00:39:20

You can't argue with those guilty pleasures.

Paul: 00:39:22

I imagine it's a bit like Naughty professor, but I haven't seen it.

Darren: 00:39:25

Bad movies that you like. They are bad movies, but if you.

Paul: 00:39:28

Like them, you like the Cocaine Bears.

Darren: 00:39:29

I think is probably quite good.

Marc: 00:39:30

So before we reveal next week's movie, we really need your help in spreading the word of this podcast to help us grow. So there's two ways you can do it. You can give us a rating and a review in whatever app or platform you're listening.

So be it Spotify or Apple podcasts, whatever it is, go to the ratings review section, give us a rating and tell us what you think. And also just share the show. So on your socials, maybe do a post about the podcast or in the app, hit the share button.

If you can think of just one person who would like this show or this particular episode, please send them our way.

Darren: 00:40:00

Why wouldn't you want to send around joy in the current climate? Send happiness to your friends, your co workers, your family.

Marc: 00:40:08

I like it.

Paul: 00:40:09

Sold.

Marc: 00:40:09

Yeah, I'm just going to put that as the. I'm going to put that at the beginning of the whole thing.

Paul: 00:40:13

That's the trailer right there.

Marc: 00:40:17

That takes us on to next week's movie, which is going to be Paul's Choice.

Darren: 00:40:22

Go, Paul. It's your birthday.

Paul: 00:40:23

Okay.

Marc: 00:40:25

Is it your birthday?

Darren: 00:40:26

No.

Paul: 00:40:26

No. Well, it is because I get to pick the film. I'm gonna go very artistic, obviously, with this one.

Marc: 00:40:34

Okay.

Darren: 00:40:34

We've gone from one of the greatest movies in all of cinema to another.

Paul: 00:40:38

One of the greatest movies in all of cinema. Darren.

Marc: 00:40:41

I'm intrigued.

Paul: 00:40:41

We're going back to the 90s, going back to the original Bad Boys. Okay, let's go. Michael Bay's first film. Let's go. Bad Boys. Bad Boys. What you gonna do? Martin Lawrence and Will Smith.

Marc: 00:40:54

Not seen that for a long time.

Paul: 00:40:56

That's. That's what I feel like. Prime at the moment. It's on Amazon Prime.

Darren: 00:40:59

I think they all are, aren't they?

Paul: 00:41:01

I think they are. Apart from maybe the latest one, but.

Marc: 00:41:03

Yeah, I've seen 1 and 2. I've not seen any of those, so.

Paul: 00:41:07

Okay.

Darren: 00:41:08

We would have seen the first in the cinema, right?

Marc: 00:41:10

I did, yeah.

Darren: 00:41:11

Yeah.

Paul: 00:41:12

I'm not sure I did.

Darren: 00:41:13

What year was it?

Paul: 00:41:14

I was far too young.

Marc: 00:41:15

Was it 95? 5? Yeah.

Paul: 00:41:17

Yeah.

Marc: 00:41:19

You guys.

Paul: 00:41:20

You guys must have been old enough, but I was far too young. But I did watch it a lot, so, yeah, that's my choice. I'm going Bad Boys.

Marc: 00:41:27

Excellent.

Paul: 00:41:28

The first one. Okay. Bit of an action comedy for you there.

Marc: 00:41:32

Nice one. Let us know what you think, listeners, about that Pulse choice. Do you rate it? Do you hate it?

Paul: 00:41:37

They love it.

Marc: 00:41:38

Let us know if you've seen it. Let us know what you think of the film as well, and we'll read out some of the responses on the. On the episode. Okay, so that's it. Episode over.

Until next time. This is Mark saying goodbye and me.

Darren: 00:41:51

Saying bye for now.

Paul: 00:41:52

Get back in there, you mock turtle.